On Tuesday night, President Bola Tinubu went on TV and radio to talk to everyone in Nigeria. He announced that Rivers State is now under a state of emergency.
He said he’s really worried about the messy political situation going on there and pointed the finger at Governor Siminilayi Fubara, saying the governor knocked down the State House of Assembly building.
Tinubu explained that after looking at everything, he decided to officially start this emergency on March 18. This big news dropped just a few hours after he sat down with his top military and security leaders, plus the Inspector-General of Police, at his official home, the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
That meeting started around 3pm, and some heavy hitters were there, like Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele. Later, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, rolled up to the front of the Villa too, showing how serious this all was.
Personal note: I’ve got some thoughts on this. Nigeria’s Constitution, in Section 305, says a state of emergency isn’t just something a president can call on a whim—it needs solid backing from the National Assembly. Like, at least two-thirds of both the Senate and House have to vote yes after the president sends them a request explaining why it’s needed. From what’s here, it doesn’t sound like that vote happened, so this feels shaky.
Plus, if Tinubu’s trying to push out an elected governor like Fubara and put someone else in charge, that’s a big overstep too. The Constitution protects elected folks unless there’s a clear, legal reason to boot them, and demolition alone doesn’t seem to cut it. This could stir up more trouble than it solves.
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